"The controversy to which you refer surrounding the inflatable pig occurred a decade ago, in 2013, at a concert in Belgium, not at the most recent concert in Berlin. Images from the 2023 Berlin concert confirm that the inflatable pig did not have a Star of David. It should be noted that the 2013 pig relates to Pink Floyd’s album “Animals,” which features an inflatable pig in the sky on the cover and included three different songs with “Pigs” in the title – including “Pigs on the Wing.”"
May 31, 2023
To:
Christopher Bury, News Director, CTV and CJAD 800
Dear Mr. Bury,
I’m writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to alert you to a factual error in the May 26, 2023 CTV news segment that aired around 7:35 AM EST.
While the segment suffers from general mischaracterizations of Roger Waters performance in Berlin, there is a significant factual error presented in the piece that requires an on-air correction. The speaker states of Mr. Waters Berlin’s performance:
“The 79-year-old rocker took to the stage wearing a long black trench coat featuring red armbands and a metallic insignia on the collar, a look reminiscent of Nazi SS officers. Banners in a Third Reich style were hung from the stage and an inflatable pig bearing the star of David floated above”
The controversy to which you refer surrounding the inflatable pig occurred a decade ago, in 2013, at a concert in Belgium, not at the most recent concert in Berlin. Images from the 2023 Berlin concert confirm that the inflatable pig did not have a Star of David.
It should be noted that the 2013 pig relates to Pink Floyd’s album “Animals,” which features an inflatable pig in the sky on the cover and included three different songs with “Pigs” in the title – including “Pigs on the Wing.” The pig is popularly viewed as a nod to Orwell’s Animal Farm, in which pigs are authoritarians. Hareetz reported on the pig’s Star of David symbol and Waters decision to add other religious imagery following criticism.
I insist that you make an on-air correction to clarify that Waters did not use an inflatable pig with the Star of David at his Berlin concert. This should be an opportunity to correct your other mischaracterizations of Waters’ performance that follow.
Your description of Waters’ costume and staging were misleading and inflammatory. You falsely suggest that Waters was emulating Nazism and hence glorifying it, when he is doing exactly the opposite. Both Mr. Waters costume and the banners were a direct reference to the 1982 film “The Wall,” which was based on Pink Floyd’s album by the same name. Both were explicitly anti-fascist projects. Your segment is especially insensitive given that Roger Waters’ father died during World War II, fighting against fascism and the rise of Nazism.
I urge you to include this information during your on-air correction.
I have already submitted this issue with the CBSC, but am sending to you directly as well.
If you would like to discuss this matter further, please contact me at 438-380-5410.
Sincerely,
Jason Toney
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
Director of Media Advocacy